Do you really think you do a better job at home vs. PS

[Greta Lea]

v

[Alaska Mom]

I'm still new and in the scary stage that's full of self doubt.

 

A while back I asked my homeschool advisor with the school district about the fact that I was worried dd would be missing out on having " that outstanding, wonderful public school teacher that inspires and motivates her, and gives her all this wonderful knowledge". She gave me a look of complete shock and responded that by homeschooling , my dd would most likely miss out on having a teacher who is teaching what she (the teacher) wants to teach or is good at teaching - with little interest in what interests my dd.

 

That comment keeps me going. But I'll tell, I'm having doubts today :tongue_smilie:! Last week my dd was a whiz at math, this morning it was like she'd never seen math before......must be a test of my patience as a teacher I suppose.....and I'm not sure I passed it very well today :crying:.

[sweetbaby]

This has been on my mind a lot, since I live in a great district! My kids have been to public school and have been successful.

 

I spent the weekend going through course outlines from some great teachers- I am a ex. college prof. myself. I had to think and wonder- "wow- some of these teachers are doing a good job".

 

I homeschool to give my children a boost of self-esteem everyday, moral counsel and more time with mom so to speak. But I have to wonder, as they are both middle school now and one will be in high school next year, can we really do a better job academically?

 

I hope so. Our schools are so-so. My oldest had experienced ps from k-6 and I was a very active parent but I have seen some pretty bad teachers and some who were wonderful. I can only hope that I have it together as much as the wonderful examples I have seen but we homeschool for religious reasons also.

[Rosie_0801]

But this is a great point, and one I've mentioned to others who talk about the 'great teachers' out there...

Face it...it's a roll of the dice if you're working with a school system.

 

 

Those teachers are trying to balance work and life. My dh works with some great teachers (and has been trying to be one himself,) but they have to put their kids in childcare all day every day. Here at home, work and life are the same thing. Sometimes that's a bad thing! Overall, it's best that way. We aren't neglecting our family in favour of a career, and we're not neglecting our job in favour of our family, which isn't good either. It's almost impossible for a teacher to do both work and family particularly well, by our standards. To be honest, it feels wrong to expect a teacher to put my kids as a higher priority then their own. I know how difficult it is for a teacher to continue to feel passionate about their work, that it isn't "just a job" but I'd want that passion for my kids anyway. So, I'm homeschooling (or will be) and dh is giving up teaching. From my observations of dh and what his collegues say, teaching is a job for single people, or at least people without kids.

Rosie

[Nan in Mass]

But that doesn't mean that my children would get that education if they went to that school. I know. Our oldest only homeschooled for 7th and 8th. He definately didn't get the education the ps offered him. (His cousins, on the other hand, are. I think it depends on the child.) The education my other two (14 and 18) are getting at home is tailored to them, so they are getting more of what I am offering. I may not be able to offer the same quality of history as the ps, but I can offer Peace Studies, complete months of peace walking every year. I can't offer a great smooth Latin class, but I can offer a foreign language at a pace such that my older one can absorb it. I may not be able to offer much in the way of lab sciences, but I can offer Natural History instead of biology, something we are all much more interested in. I can go faster where my youngest is picking something up well and not bore him into hating the subject. And we can limit the academics to only part of our lives so they can be on the gymnastics team and not have to give up playing with their friends or having any down time. Also, I can give them an education that is relatively free of testing and competition and the social pressures of school. I think it is worth it.

-Nan

[gardenschooler]

 

 

 

Your kids could get that great guy who reads Shakespeare and instills a love for the Bard in his kids...

 

 

 

 

 

A few of those great teachers are available to homeschoolers. Occasionally I'll hear about a wonderful teacher that is teaching in an outside class available to homeschoolers, and they really are wonderful, from what I hear. I'm hoping to be able to take advantage of a few of those.

[gardenschooler]

I'd have to say yes, I believe I can (with enough sweat and the occasional outside class). Having one at home and one in ps (both at the high school/honors level) makes it pretty easy to compare.

 

What I don't have in expertise, I can make up for with self-education and a strong desire to learn as we go along. The personal attention makes up for a lot, too, IMO. My dd14 gets a few hours a day of 'face time' with me.

[ncmomo3]

I hear your concerns. I have had them in the past. In the circle of hs friends that I have (12 or so) 6 of them were teachers (ranging from 2nd-high school English). They all made the choice to hs. I have picked their brains as to their decisions to hs. They are each entirely confident that this way is, by far the best course.

 

This is not to say that hs is a panacea; it is not neccessarily the best course for every child/family.

However, when I needed reassurances in the past, I would call for a reminder from one of those who have been there.

[cathmom]

From my observations of dh and what his collegues say, teaching is a job for single people, or at least people without kids.

Rosie

 

I taught part-time at a charter high school last year, and this is definitely true. I kept thinking, this would be a wonderful job to do full-time if I didn't have my own dc at home!!

[Elizabeth TN]

Absolutely. I put my kids back in public school this year. Today, my 3rd grader came home with homework from a 2nd grade workbook. He already has trouble because he is above grade level, so this just sent me over the edge. I wish I had kept them home.